Anniversary trip provides a long-awaited vacation

Jim and I celebrated our 24th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 14. Doesn't seem possible it could be that long although Jim says, jokingly, I hope, that it seems longer. With a bit of a lull in our hectic schedule and the busy library gala and Gravette Day weekends behind us, we decided to celebrate a bit by taking a short vacation. We didn't get away for even one overnight trip last year so thought it was about time for a break. I had purchased some tickets from Grand Country Music Hall in Branson at the library gala and we chose to head north.

I skipped our Lions Club meeting on Tuesday and we took off shortly before noon. We drove east to Pea Ridge and soon passed the Pea Ridge National Military Park. Next we went through part of the Mark Twain National Forest, meandering along the Sugar Camp Scenic Trail. At Roaring River State Park, we saw several fishermen lining up on the bank with their lines in the water. All these sights reminded us again of the beauty of the Ozarks and the wonderful work of our national and state park systems and the hard work of all their employees.

We reached our destination at the Radisson Hotel in Branson about 3 p.m. and checked into our room shortly afterward. The lobby was filled with handsome young men in baseball uniforms during our stay since Branson was hosting the Youth Baseball Network National Championship last weekend. This event, at the Branson RecPlex, featured the 12U national champions from several major youth baseball organizations plus the Missouri state champions. We went out to the Lone Star Steakhouse just across the highway from our hotel for a steak dinner that evening.

Wednesday morning we opted for a quick breakfast, Egg McMuffins, orange juice and coffee, before heading out toward Table Rock Lake and exploring the grounds of the Big Cedar Lodge overlooking its waters. Big Cedar Lodge, owned by Bass Pro Shops founder, Johnny Morris, is a lovely 800-acre wilderness resort sprawled over a wooded hollow overlooking the lake. We returned to town in time to purchase tickets for the Conway Remembered show at Hamners' Variety Theater. We enjoyed impressionist Mike Walker's rendition of 30 Conway Twitty songs and then visited the History of Fishing Museum near our hotel. This museum houses a collection of more than 40,000 items, including lures, rods, reels, boats, motors and fishing artifacts collected by Karl and Beverly White. Karl began collecting at the age of eight. That evening we returned to a restaurant we'd visited two years ago and had a delicious Tex-Mex meal at Pancho Villa's.

Thursday morning we started the day with a big breakfast from the bountiful buffet in the Radisson restaurant. After breakfast we drove to the Grand Country Music Hall and used our tickets from the library gala to see the Amazing Pets show. It featured a cast of trained cats, dogs and birds that did indeed perform amazing feats. After the show we returned to our hotel room for a short time and then drove out to Big Cedar Lodge again and the Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Nature Preserve. There we took a 2 1/2 mile tour through the nature preserve with Jim driving the electric cart and me snapping photos right and left. We agreed the tour, featuring caves, waterfalls, bluffs, Amish-built covered bridges and scenic views of the lake below, was our favorite part of our brief vacation.

When we returned from our trip down the nature trail, which included a trip through the Lost Canyon Cave with its four-story waterfall, we walked through Arnie's Barn, a 150-year-old wooden barn brought from Arnold Palmer's hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and reconstructed at Top of the Rock by a local Amish family. Next we toured the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. This underground museum houses lifelike dioramas of early Ozarks animals, a fascinating collection of native American artifacts and an extensive collection of Civil War memorabilia. We drove back to town and ended the day with a delicious meal from the Grand Country Buffet.

Friday morning we indulged in a second big breakfast from the buffet in the Radisson's Wildwood Bistro restaurant. We returned to our room and collected our belongings, then loaded the car and headed home. We arrived in Gravette about noon. We enjoyed our brief getaway but it was good to get home. When we checked our phone messages, we learned I had a special council meeting to attend that evening and Jim had a lawn mowing job waiting for him so we both dived right back in to our busy routine.

Saturday morning while Jim mowed a lawn, I attended the ribbon cutting at The Junkin Sailor and the museum reception honoring Sheila Martin and took photos of both. I also met with an old school classmate and got details of an upcoming celebration. That afternoon I joined friends at our monthly quilt class. Sunday afternoon we had a brief visit from sister Nancy who came by to borrow the pickup to bring home a love seat she and her husband had bought. Jim made a big pot of goulash for Sunday supper, capping off a memorable week.

Susan Holland is a long-time Benton County resident and a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 08/24/2016